The present disclosure relates to a paper sheet which can disintegrate in water and to its use in the manufacture of a roll tube; it relates to the field of products composed of a strip of flexible sheet material wound around a tube. It is targeted in particular at the field of paper for sanitary or domestic use in tube-comprising rolls.
Paper for sanitary or domestic use, such as toilet paper, paper wipes or kitchen roll, is packaged, for some, as tube-comprising rolls.
The tube is a cylinder, generally made of cardboard, which is discarded after the paper of the roll has been consumed. The tube fulfils several functions:
It acts as support onto which the paper sheet is wound during the manufacture of the roll. Generally, the rolls are manufactured from a very wide mother sheet which is wound around a tubular member of corresponding length, and the roll obtained is sawn into individual rolls with the desired width.
It keeps the central hole open by withstanding the internal stresses of the roll and by preventing the internal turns of the winding from collapsing.
It keeps the roll in shape by withstanding the crushing strains along its axis or the transverse crushing strains to which the roll is subjected during transportation or during the various handling operations before it is used.
The tube is generally obtained by winding and adhesively bonding one or more strips of cardboard around a cylindrical form.
Flat cardboard is an inexpensive material which can be composed of recycled fibres. In addition, it is light and its mechanical strength is satisfactory for this use.
However, it exhibits the disadvantage of not being able to be recovered after the roll has been consumed and of becoming a waste product.
In the case of toilet paper, it is not recommended to dispose of the roll by attempting to discharge it with the wastewater as, although composed predominantly of paper fibres, it disintegrates slowly on contact with water and forms a plug before it can be flushed away by the flow.